Maple Swirl Biscuits

These maple swirl biscuits were so delicious! 

They are very similar to quick cinnamon biscuits

but with a definite fall flavor.

Luckily my family really enjoyed them as well,

or I might have eaten the whole pan! ;-)

It officially looks like fall around here! :-)

I'm a little later than usual getting my fall decorations out. I'm still just so tired in the evenings after getting home from work that I hadn't been able to seem to find the energy to get my boxes out of the closet. But, Friday evening, an opportunity presented itself!  My daughter went to the local high school football game and Mr. H. and my son headed out of town to watch our nephew play in his football game, so...I took advantage of a quiet house and just decided to push through and put everything out all at once and get it done! It was just in time, too.  All weekend long it was rainy, dreary, and cool outside and I was so glad that it felt like (and smelt like!) FALL at my house!  

I put out leaves and decorations all over the house,

but my two favorite places to decorate are the butler's pantry

and the hutch.

I am LOVING this Better Homes and Gardens candle I picked up at Wal-Mart.

It is "Simmering Apple Cider" scent.

Only $5 for a large 18 ounce size candle,

and I think it smells just as good and strong as a Yankee one. 

I tucked away my summer dishes and put out my fall ones,

along with some cookbooks I enjoy using in the fall.

I have this new one on special display. ;-)

It just so happens that when you turn to page 30...

you'll find one of my recipes!

And, of course I have out a nice size dish of candy corn.

A fall favorite of mine!

Southwest Tamale Tart

I tried a new recipe Monday night,

combining ideas from Bisquick

and 2 Maids a Milking

to make a Southwest Tamale Tart.

Ingredients needed are -

1 cup Bisquick baking mix

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 can (4 ounces) diced green chilies 

8 ounce package Mexican blend shredded cheese (divided)

1/2 cup beef broth

1/2 pound chicken tenders

1 envelope taco seasoning mix

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 ounces) corn, drained

sour cream and picante sauce for topping

Combine baking mix, corn meal, chilies, 1/2 the cheese, and beef broth.

Grease a tart pan and pat corn meal mixture into bottom of pan.

Meanwhile combine taco seasoning and 1 cup water in a saucepan.

Add chicken and simmer until done.

Remove chicken and shred with two forks.

Place shredded chicken in tart pan on top of corn meal mixture.

Layer the beans and corn, and top with the rest of the cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Let cool 5 minutes and then cut into wedges.

Serve with sour cream and picante sauce on the side.

Enjoy!

Menu Plans

Supper Menus
September 23rd-29th

Sunday
pot luck luncheon after worship
Monday
southwestern tamale tart, tortilla chips, jalapeño ranch dip
Tuesday
very busy evening with family going 15 different directions!  = out for sandwiches 
Wednesday
corn and cheese chowder in a bread bowl
Thursday
savory beef sandwiches, tomato soup, carrot and celery sticks
Friday
tba
Saturday
tba

Happy fall! :-)

My favorite season has arrived!

Do you love autumn, too?

What are your favorite things?

You can find my list of 

"Wonderful Things of Autumn"

here. 

I love to decorate during the fall season.
I always start my decorating
by putting out my autumn dishes.

And I LOVE to cook and bake
when the season turns cooler.

Soups, stews, doughnuts and cider, fresh breads...
I could go on and on. :-)

Here are some of my family's very favorite recipes
for this time of year -

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Apple Pancakes with Cider Syrup

Apple Cinnamon Scones

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins

Harvest Pumpkin Spice Scones

Autumn Spice Muffins

Autumn Chowder

Farmhouse Beef Stew

Autumn Tossed Salad

Saucy Chicken Sandwiches

Braised Autumn Pork Chops

Chicken Pot Pie

Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings

Pumpkin Harvest Cookies

Vermont Maple Oatmeal Pie

Cream Filled Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Pumpkin Pie Coffee Creamer

Happy fall!
I hope you enjoy every moment! :-)

One of these things is not like the others...

I was so happy this afternoon

 to discover the first egg laid by my Ameraucana breed chicken!

My other chickens all lay brown eggs,

so the first blue/green egg was quite eggs-citing. :-)

It was especially sweet that I found it today,

since today has definitely been "one of those days"

if you know what I mean!

Hoping it's a sign that things will soon be looking up! :-)

Linked to Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop #75 
Farmgirl Friday Blog Fest #1
Homestead Revival Barn Hop #80

Fall is Coming!

The first sign of fall at our place,

is always the apperance of the berries 

on the American Beauty Berry shrubs in our yard.

I always notice them right after school begins.

They grow wild all over our property.

A favorite treat of the birds, coons, foxes, squirells and deer.

And, they whisper to me, that fall is on the way! :-) 

Menu Plans

Supper Menus
September 9th-15th

Sunday 
out for dinner
Monday
old fashioned chicken and dumplings
Tuesday
fettuccine alfredo, casear salad, french bread
Wednesday
sliders, spicy potato wedges, baked beans
Thursday
texas chili, jalapeño cheese cornbread
Friday
homemade pizza
Saturday
out of town

Menu Plan Monday is Back!

The winds of change are blowing around here at Heritage Schoolhouse.  Next week my daughter will begin her sophomore year of high school, my son is going into junior high, I am starting back to work after staying home for fifteen years, and my son will begin playing on a competitive soccer team that will require travel most weekends.  Whew!   It is going to take awhile to adjust to our new routines.  I know one thing that I can do to make the transition smoother is for me to get back into the habit of routine menu planning.  When my children were little, and during the years we home schooled, I almost always menu planned, but after the kids started back to public school three years ago, I gradually stopped planning.  Mostly due to the fact that I had much less pressure to know what was for dinner each night.  I had the luxury of waiting until the last minute as well as the opportunity to stop by the store when I was in town after dropping the kids off at school or before I picked them up.  This year, after working all day and picking the kids up from school, stopping by the store around 5:00 pm will probably not be too high on my list of favorite activities!  I need to have a weekly plan and get my shopping done once a week. So, therefore, Menu Plan Monday is back!  I hope you get inspired to get your menus planned in advance, too, and if you have any favorite weeknight meals that your family loves, feel free to tell me about them in the comments.   

Menu Plan
August 19th-25th

Sunday

out to eat

Monday

fettuccine alfredo, lettuce and tomato salad, rosemary rolls    

Tuesday

hamburgers, spicy potato wedges, baked beans

Wednesday

mexican lasagna, chuy's jalapeño ranch dip, tortilla chips

Thursday

old fashioned chicken and dumplings, lettuce and tomato salad, brownies

Friday

poppyseed chicken, buttered corn, lettuce and tomato salad, dinner rolls

Saturday

out of town

August 10th - National S'mores Day!

Yummy!  Campfire s'mores 

and summertime just go together!

This year for S'mores Day I was stocked up.

Plenty of graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate...

Plus we tried cool, refreshing s'mores parfaits.

Just layer chocolate pudding, graham crackers, 

marshmallow cream and top with marshmallows.

Want to start the day off right?

How 'bout s'mores for breakfast?

Why not?!

Try S'mores Muffins.

S'mores in a Jar

are fun, too!

Happy S'mores Day!

Can I have s'more? :-)

Teen Room ReDo! :-)

My teen daughter's room had gotten a little out of control since we moved into this house two years ago.  And when I say a little I am being nice. ;-)  Let's just say tidiness, cleanliness and organization are not as dear to her little heart as they are to mine and leave it at that.  

Did you know that one of the best ways to force ;-) reorganization and cleanliness is to paint??  Yep!  On Saturday afternoon, while my daughter was at the mall with a friend, I had had enough. I just flat out decided to stage an intervention. ;-) I knew she would never get her room looking good without a fresh start.  So...I took EV-ER-Y-THING out of her room and moved it into our living area.  And, I mean everything - off the walls, out of the closet, everything. Boy was she surprised when she got home!  On Sunday afternoon my husband painted her room "tree branch" brown - her choice.  It matches most of the rest of the house.  And I went shopping for some new bedding and curtains.  She requested white sheets and a white comforter and black curtains.   I got the t-shirt style sheets.  SO soft - she loves them.  (The curtains are the black-out kind that makes her room really dark and they will keep her room cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter as well.  This morning she had to wake up early to go to her babysitting job and she said it was so hard to get up because her room was black as night!  She also said that she had slept better last night than she has in a long time!)  She and I then spent ALL DAY yesterday wiping down her furniture, rearranging it as we put it back in her room, and going through everything before we put it back.  Nothing went back in her room that wasn't useful, beautiful or sentimental.  (We had several bags of trash and several bags to give away when we were done.)  I, of course, was in my element  sorting and purging.  My daughter not so much ;-) but she persevered.  She wanted to be finished!

I present to you, her new room.  We still have a few decorative items she'd like to get and we're searching pinterest for some cool things to do.  But, for now everything has a place and everything is in it's place.  Ahh!  Her "vision" for her room is for it to be peaceful and "earthy" so that's what we'll be looking to do.  I'm just glad it's clean and healthy again.  It was definitely worth a few days of work. :-)

This is all we have left.  A few bags of mementos, hair things, and jewelry that we have sorted and just need to decide how to display and/or store in her room.  She is enjoying her room so much already that I think even my messy girl might keep things a little more tidy!  I am hoping that we have set her up to be successful.  Here's to hoping. :-)

~Summer Evening Supper Pie~

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

Tomatoes, corn, cheddar cheese, a delicious pie crust

and a tangy sauce.

Yum-um and even better the next day.

DO NOT save time and use a can of corn!

Fresh all the way for this - you won't be sorry. :-)

Enjoy!

P.S. I mentioned to Mr. H. that maybe 

I'll throw a little bacon in next time I make this. 
He smiled.

The hens are two years old!

I really can't believe it's been two years since they arrived!

We celebrated their 2nd birthday today.

It was a low key affair. ;-)

Oats in the treat tin and a birthday picture.

A good time was had by all. :-)

I lost one hen this spring.  Little Emmy Lou.  

Not sure what happened to her.  

No signs of a snake or predator getting her.

She was always the lowest in the pecking order,

and maybe the other hens just didn't let her

get enough food and water. :-(

She was fine the day before, 

and then she was gone.  

Such is life on the farm.

But, I still do miss her.  

I also lost one of my girls I got from the feed store in April.

I learned a hard lesson that even if the temperature outside
is warm enough for a chick, a draft can still get them.  

Miranda was already over a month old, 

but she got wet from dumping the waterer over 

and then chilled outside in a draft. :-(

Thankfully Carrie is still doing well.

It's about time to let her in with the older hens.

I'm a bit worried since it was supposed to be 

two new ones to introduce to the flock.

She has been right next to the other hens

for several months now since I moved her outside,

but in a separate run. 

So we'll have to just see how it goes...

Chicken keeping is always an adventure. :-)

Linked to Barn Hop #72.

Fresh Peach Galette

Ingredients

for crust 

2/12 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup shortening

12 tablespoons buter, cubed

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

for filling

4 to 5 fresh peaches, pitted, peeled and sliced

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons butter, divided

To prepare crust, combine flour, salt and sugar.

Cut in shortening and butter

until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Slowly add water until dough comes together.

To prepare filling, toss peaches with sugar and vanilla.

Roll out dough to about twelve inches across.

Mound peaches in the center of the dough,

and then fold dough up and over, 

leaving some of the peaches showing

to form a rustic crust. 

Dot peaches with 1 tablespoon of butter.

Melt remaining butter and brush on dough.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

Let cool 5 minutes and enjoy!

Linked to Barn Hop #72.